A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
This is in full the Second Amendment to the Constitution. To the surprise of many and the discomfort of some, including the NRA and other first clause deniers, the Second Amendment of the Constitution does not begin with the words “The right of the people.”
What was the intent of those who wrote the Second Amendment?
They were people for whom words mattered. These words, every one, should matter for us as well. If their intent was to state solely that the “right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” they would have said that and that alone. But they chose to precede and condition that clause with the “well regulated militia” clause. Why? Their purpose was to ensure the swift mobilization of a militia to defend our new nation.
At that time in the life of our country, “a well regulated militia” was formed by citizen soldiers who lived at home from which they mustered directly with their weapons. Today, our “well regulated militia” is formed by members of the armed services who bear arms that are restricted to where they live — on military bases, ships and other military locations.
There is nothing “well regulated” about a citizenry that currently possesses over 400 million firearms by which 38,000 Americans die annually via murder, suicide and accident. This deadly toll makes the nation less secure. Today a well educated citizenry, not one that is well armed, holds far greater promise for the security of our free state.
Civil and informed dialogue concerning the Second Amendment requires that we acknowledge its full text. If we are to remain a free people, we are not free to cherry-pick words and clauses in the amendments that comprise our Bill of Rights.
David R. Abbott
Montpelier
